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They dont make em like this anymore. The girls consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne (1911-67), soprano Maxine (1916-95) and mezzo-soprano Patty (1918-2013). Throughout their long career, the sisters sold well over 75 million records. Their harmonies and songs are still influential today, and have been covered by almost everybody.
They started their career as imitators of an earlier successful singing group, the Boswell Sisters. After singing with various dance bands, they first came to national attention with their recordings and radio broadcasts in 1937, most notably via their major hit, Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen, originally a Yiddish tune, the lyrics of which Sammy Cahn had translated to English and which the girls harmonized to perfection. They followed this success with a string of best-selling records over the next two years and they became a household name by the 1940s.
During World War II, they entertained the Allied forces extensively in America, Africa and Italy, visiting military bases, war zones, hospitals and munitions factories. They helped Bette Davis and John Garfield found California's famous Hollywood Canteen, a welcome retreat for servicemen where the trio often performed, volunteering their personal time to sing and dance for the military personnel. While touring, they often treated three random servicemen to dinner when they were dining out. They were Americas sweethearts.
Can you imagine the Hollyweird crew today selling anything that would have to do with a war effort?
I didn’t think so. Me either!
My Uncle Jack made his living playing Piano, although he was self-taught and couldn’t read music.
During the War, the Andrews Sisters came to his post with the USO. However, there was no band to provide accompaniment.
Uncle Jack offered to play piano for them, but they said “We don’t have the sheet music.”
He said, “Just start singing!”
Which they did, and Jack (19 years old)played piano for them for the entire show.
(One of my Family WW2 stories!)